Prince Avalanche
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: August 9, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
25
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
The PlaylistRodrigo PerezApr 15, 2013
A wonderfully eccentric examination of unlikely friendships that illuminates the absurd and lovely corners of life, Prince Avalanche is a deeply enjoyable, wondrous delight. Read full review
90
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlAug 6, 2013
Prince Avalanche reconciles Green's twin modes into a whole no other director could have, deeply felt and light as laughter. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAug 14, 2013
The film entertains, puzzles, and strays outside the lines. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsAug 15, 2013
Here's a funny, poignant oddball of a movie, existing on a galaxy far, far away from the likes of "Pacific Rim" or "World War Z" or anything whose computer-generated actions speak louder than words. Read full review
85
NPRJoel ArnoldAug 9, 2013
Prince Avalanche speaks insightfully to the joys and costs of being alone, and of the risk that comes with letting another person in. Bittersweet and deeply felt, it also shows with confidence the estimable and still surprising talents of its cast and director. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Aug 7, 2013
By going back to nature — and to his indie roots — the director of "George Washington" has reconnected with his poetic side. The Malick comparisons seem appropriate again. Read full review
80
Total FilmNeil SmithOct 21, 2013
Green fashions a slow-burn charmer that’s a million miles from Pineapple Express in tone, pace and content. But just like that film, the odd couple interplay is beautifully judged. Read full review
80
Time Out LondonTom HuddlestonOct 15, 2013
With gorgeously crisp photography and pitch-perfect performances from the two leads, this is one of the most intriguing and thoughtful American films of the year. Read full review
80
EmpireDamon WiseOct 14, 2013
Gordon Green follows up a pair of execrable comedies with a wise and witty slow-motion road trip that catches the sun. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriAug 12, 2013
The movie barely seems to hold together. Could it even be called a movie? And yet, it's captivating — a bit like Gus Van Sant's "Gerry," but not as conceptually hidebound. Read full review
80
The New York TimesA.O. ScottAug 8, 2013
Mr. Green is too fond of these guys, and too respectful of the little bit of freedom they possess, to ensnare them in the machinery of a plot. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterApr 15, 2013
While the core elements of this reluctant buddy movie could almost constitute a pared-down theater piece, the film breathes with real cinematic expansiveness. Green’s poetic observation skills are the key to that seeming contradiction. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam LaceyAug 22, 2013
A charming oddity starring Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch, often feels like an al fresco stage play. It’s an intimate two-hander with lots of dialogue, humour and poignant revelations, set against a backdrop of rugged woodland beauty. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesBruce IngramAug 15, 2013
Prince Avalance is frequently funny in a subdued sort of way, but it’s primarily contemplative and eventually intimate. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeLoren KingAug 15, 2013
It’s a surprisingly humorous and humane film — a lyrical little oddity that stands as a welcome return to form. Read full review
75
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreAug 6, 2013
It’s a “Waiting for Godot” set in the solitary work and lives of two highway line-painters. Read full review
75
IndieWireEric KohnApr 15, 2013
The opposing genre extremes never entirely come together. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineNick McCarthyApr 15, 2013
The psychological path of these characters is finely marked with signposts, but as Prince Avalanche reaches its destination, you almost wish it would have gotten a little more lost in the woods. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyAug 8, 2013
As intriguing as Prince Avalanche can be in its contemplations, and as glad as I am to see Green cozying up to his more elemental and esoteric side, the film ultimately plays like an unfinished thought. It's a good thought, mind you, but like the road, it seems to go nowhere. Read full review
70
The DissolveScott TobiasAug 8, 2013
The irony of Prince Avalanche is that its most conventional elements, the ones that wouldn’t be out of place in a Hollywood buddy comedy, are by far its most satisfying. It’s only when Green reaches for the old poetry that the film seems excessively precious and out of balance. Read full review
70
VarietyDennis HarveyApr 15, 2013
An unconventional, ultimately rather sweet buddy pic that’s an audiovisual treat. Read full review
63
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsAug 15, 2013
Cue the folky music and the two eccentric locals who are the only other characters, and Prince Avalanche is a molehill that dreams it’s a mountain when it’s really, really stoned. Read full review
63
New York PostKyle SmithAug 9, 2013
An uneasy mix of Richard Linklater and Abbott and Costello, Prince Avalanche is an oddment, but one that brings some small, peculiar pleasures. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia PuigAug 8, 2013
This sweetly eccentric and low-key buddy picture/bromance bears little resemblance to more well-known examples of the genre, such as "Lethal Weapon" or "Pineapple Express." Read full review
63
ObserverMatthew KasselAug 6, 2013
Mr. Green has managed to turn a story about two road workers doing roadwork into something compelling. Sometimes that is a credit to his quirky script, but mostly it happens when he lets the dramatic scenery speak for itself. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBarbara VanDenburghAug 8, 2013
As far as missteps go, Prince Avalanche is at least an interesting one, which is better than Green has done in awhile. Read full review
60
Time OutJoshua RothkopfAug 6, 2013
Prince Avalanche — Green has admitted that the unrelated title came to him in a dream — evaporates after a while, although it’s never less than quizzical and charming. Read full review
60
Film.comWilliam GossApr 15, 2013
Prince Avalanche occupies a strange space between [Green's] broadly comedic fare and devoutly character-driven dramas, and while we’re happy to see him closer to the latter mode once more, let’s hope that he’ll be back in a bigger way the next time out. Read full review
40
The GuardianSebastian DoggartApr 15, 2013
The best reason to see this misconceived film is its location. Read full review
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